Barcelona now look as if they will be able to register Brazilian striker Vitor Roque as a replacement for the injured Gavi in January, and already plans are in place to see him touch down in Catalonia.
Roque is in the final stages of his recovery from an ankle ligament injury, although it is expected that he could make his return from injury as early as this weekend for Athletico Paranaense, who are fighting for continental qualification in the Brazilian Serie A. They have four games remaining over the course of the next 12 days, with their final clash on the 6th of December against Cuiaba.
According to MD, Roque will then take two weeks of holidays before travelling to Barcelona on the 20th of December, allowing him some time to settle into his new life before starting training and being thrust into the exhausting Barcelona schedule. He will spend Christmas in Barcelona, and will aim to get fighting fit for the 10th of January, when they take on Osasuna in Saudi Arabia in the Spanish Supercup.
With few resources available to Xavi Hernandez, there is a danger that Roque’s adaptation process is rushed, and expectations for him to make an impact begin from the off. The Blaugrana clearly signed him as a long-term project, and will hope he hits the ground running. Next summer they will pay €30m plus €31m in variables for Roque though, and the last thing they need is to mentally burn the teenager they hope will replace Robert Lewandowski eventually.
